For Photographers

Are your customers wide and flat or narrow and deep?

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If you chase every type of customer, you can end up not knowing which way to turn. Wedding customers, family portrait customers, high-school seniors, social event organizers, business headshots, real estate customers, retail web sites, consumer publications, corporate customers, commercial customers, academic institutions, etc. Who gets your attention? Everyone?

Of course you want as many customers as possible but do you want your customers to be wide and flat or narrow and deep?

Having a wide and flat customer base means that you do many different types of photography to appeal to anyone and everyone. This type of customer tends to make only occasional or relatively small purchases.

A narrow and deep customer base means that you do certain types of photography that appeal to a specific type of customer. Customers in this category tend to make more frequent or higher-priced purchases.
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Copyright, Monkeys and Creativity

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The US government stated, in its September 2017 update to its copyrights practices (link to PDF), that it will not register a copyright for any work that lacks human authorship. This includes, but is not limited to:

– Photographs taken by a monkey.

– A mural painted by an elephant.

– The appearance of actual animal skin.

– Driftwood that has been shaped and smoothed by the ocean.

– Cut marks, defects, and other qualities found in natural stone.

– A song naming the Holy Spirit as its author.

Be assured that all of the above stem from actual events.
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Taking stock of your photography

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Everything old is new again. Maybe it’s because a new audience is always being born or maybe it’s because some folks fail to learn from history.

Around the year 2000, a Canadian web developer started his own online stock picture agency. Back then, existing stock agencies usually screened prospective photographers and they refused his photos as not being good enough.

His new stock agency accepted everyone and initially gave pictures away for free. But he soon realized that free wasn’t sustainable and he began to charge a few dollars per picture. His stock site was aimed at amateur photographers who were happy to give away their pictures:

The monetary rewards are an added bonus, but I don’t think they’re everything for everyone,” he said. “I think our core group of photographers, our 2000 exclusives” — photographers with portfolios exclusive to iStockphoto — are motivated by the reward of being part of an elite club that engages in creative discussion nonstop.

– Bruce Livingstone

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Licensing Terms for Photography

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A long post about some general licensing terms a professional photographer needs to know.

Although licensing affects pricing, this post has little to do with pricing photography.

These terms are mostly for corporate photographers. Licensing terms for retail photography may be different. Advertising photography will often have more exact terms concerning specific types of usage. Book publishing usually has terms that deal with edition and revision rights, language rights, electronic rights and location rights.

 

The obligatory but important disclaimer: I am not a lawyer but I have photographed many lawyers. The following is intended for your general information. It is foolish to think that any of the following is absolutely true or totally accurate.

The use of any of the following terms does not form a complete contract. There is much more that needs to be included. The devil is always in the details.
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Editorial Sports Photography Is Dead

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If you’re thinking of becoming an editorial sports photographer, don’t.

 

 

Or at least first read this 2015 interview with five veteran sports photographers.

This short article describes what has happened over the past dozen years in editorial sports photography.

Basically, the deal is, editorial sports photography is completely dead as a market for a photographer to make even a modest living. Dead. Kaput. Over. Flatlined. The best action photographers in the world, who freelanced or were staffers at the major sports magazines, are all out of work . . .

– Robert Seale, photographer

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Didn’t See That Coming

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Why didn’t the customer accept your quote? Was it too expensive for them? Did they find a better photographer? What did you forget to do? What did you not foresee?

 

 

• In February this year, a municipality requested a photo quote for an upcoming economic report. I sent a quote and heard nothing for a few days. Was my price too high? What didn’t they like?
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